Scientists at UCF have discovered how certain bacteria can produce molecules chemically similar to those used in explosives, revealing a previously unknown pathway for building complex, nitrogen-rich compounds.
The study, led by UCF , identifies hydrazinoacetic acid as a key building block in the production of N-nitroglycine, a rare compound that offers new insight into how living systems carry out sophisticated chemical processes.These processes could be used to create safer and more efficient chemical reactions across manufacturing, healthcare and more. The research has been accepted for publication in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology and was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Graham Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Zdilla Laboratory at Temple University.
鈥淓nzymes 鈥� or bacteria, more broadly 鈥� are capable of generating many interesting types of molecules, including ones we would think are explosive,鈥� Caranto says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know why they鈥檙e making them, but it鈥檚 fairly interesting that they do.鈥�
While compounds like nitramines are often associated with industrial and energetic applications, their role in biology remains poorly understood. By identifying hydrazinoacetic acid as a key precursor to N-nitroglycine, the team begins to explain how bacteria construct these unusual nitrogen-rich molecules 鈥� and what those pathways may tell scientists about chemistry in living systems.
Why It Matters
Understanding how bacteria produce nitrogen-rich compounds could have implications across multiple fields, from industrial chemistry to medicine. Traditional methods for synthesizing these compounds often require energy-intensive processes or hazardous materials. Biological systems, by contrast, operate under milder conditions and could offer a blueprint for alternative production methods.
鈥淐urrently, the way these compounds are made requires a lot of very corrosive, hazardous and environmentally detrimental materials, having a bacterium make it instead would present a lot of advantages in terms of eliminating waste.鈥濃�� Jonathan Caranto, associate professor of chemistry, UCF College of Sciences
鈥淐urrently, the way these compounds are made requires a lot of very corrosive, hazardous and environmentally detrimental materials,鈥� Caranto says. 鈥淗aving a bacterium make it instead would present a lot of advantages in terms of eliminating waste.鈥�
At the same time, the discovery opens new avenues for studying how these molecules function in biological systems, including potential applications in drug development and enzyme engineering.
Uncovering Nature鈥檚 Hidden Chemistry
At the center of the discovery is hydrazinoacetic acid, a small but highly reactive molecule that functions as a precursor, or starting material, in the bacterial synthesis of N-nitroglycine. By identifying its role, researchers were able to map a previously unknown biosynthetic pathway, showing insight into how bacteria construct these compounds. For postdoctoral scholar Ben Rathman, the discovery highlights how much remains unknown about these molecules.
鈥淭he biological role of these compounds is not really well understood,鈥� Rathman says. 鈥淲e have a lot to learn from nature, and that鈥檚 where my interest in the project lies.鈥�
That uncertainty is central to the work. While these compounds have been studied in synthetic contexts for decades, their presence in biology raises new questions about how and why organisms produce them.
A Paradox in Biology
Part of what makes the finding compelling is the tension between how these molecules are typically understood and how they behave in living systems.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things where, at first, you might say this shouldn鈥檛 be a biomolecule,鈥� chemistry doctoral student Gabriel Padilla 鈥�17 says. 鈥淭hese types of functional groups are usually associated with energetics, but here they鈥檙e produced by living systems.鈥�
Rather than behaving like traditional energetic materials, the compounds studied do not detonate under normal conditions. Instead, they appear to exist as stable intermediates within biological systems, suggesting they may serve entirely different functions.聽 In addition, most hydrazines are regarded as highly toxic.
For Caranto, this reflects a broader theme in the research.
鈥淥ne insight from our work is that life is pretty remarkable in how it can safely and productively use molecules that would otherwise be toxic,鈥� he says.
For the team, the work represents an early step in a much larger effort to understand the role these compounds play in nature.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really interested in why bacteria make these nitramines,鈥� Caranto says. 鈥淭his is the first step on a much longer road toward understanding that.鈥�
Work in the Caranto and Graham labs was supported by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) projects WP24-4206 and WP2332, respectively. Work of the Caranto lab was also supported by the National Institutes of Health (R35GM147515).Work from the Zdilla lab was supported by an NSF (CHE-2215854). and the Office of Naval Research (N00014-22-1-2266).
